21 June 2011 Let’s skip the recession, go straight to depression

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/time-to-quit-afghanistan/2011/06/20/AGILmVdH_story.html?hpid=z2

Time to quit Afghanistan

Richard Cohen, Published: June 20

“           Not long after Afghanistan goes off its meds — American and other troops, oodles of aid, civilian technicians, and so much cash that airplanes have to strain to smuggle it out of the country — it will revert to Afghanistan. The Taliban will come down from the mountains and from Pakistan and either make a deal with the government or reassume control. This is not only what will happen in the future. It is what has happened in the past…”

            “ Now, Obama must decide how many of America’s approximately 100,000 troops should remain. As few as possible would be the wise decision.

            “The trouble with recommending such a course is that it conforms to the foreign policy views of almost all Republican presidential candidates. Their position regarding Afghanistan is, however, just a piece of their wholesale embrace of Herbert Hoover Republicanism. They would turn the country inward — what John McCainand Lindsey Graham characterize as isolationism — while also adopting Hoover’s disastrous economic policy. The historical ignorance so obvious in our youth is an appropriate homage to their GOP elders. Not satisfied with a recession, they would cut government spending and bring on a depression.”

Cassi Creek:  The opening line is stolen from a suitably old wartime propaganda song.  “There’ll be no promotion this side of the ocean, so cheer up me lads, bless ‘em all!”

            I believe that the GOP hard liners and the teavangelists would truly like to push us into a depression and keep us there until famine and starvation become more powerful tools to use against the former middle class than is unemployment. 

            We can’t count on a war to end this recession/depression.  Even if we find a convenient and politically acceptable war, we can’t afford the tools we need to prosecute it.  The current armed forces are adequate to fight with our current weapons stores.  If we have to resort to inducting troops, it will take months to ramp up weapons production and to de-mothball our sea and air platforms.   Unless we absolutely forbid any mercenaries being used, there would be no economic upside to another protracted war on the lines of WWII or similar. 

            Finding a politically acceptable major war is unlikely.   The GOP/teavangelists were all for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan; particularly if they could bill it as a crusade or holy war against Islam.  But no Democrats will accept a new crusade and Obama’s continuation of Bush’s wars makes them unacceptable to the political right even though they were thrilled to support those wars up until Obama said ,” send more troops.” 

            Cohen is right.  We need to pull all our troops home, now.  Both Iraq and Afghanistan have had adequate time to build modern police and military forces, to build infrastructure, and to obliterate graft, corruption, and religious tyranny.  Neither country has done so and neither will do so until forced to survive without our help. 

            Got the yard mowed today.  We’ve had about 5 straight days of rain.  Today was forecast to be hot and dry.  So I managed to mow in between pop-up showers and thunderstorms. 

Left over’s for dinner tonight.